Defense Asks for Delay in Michael Slager Retrial

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Lawyers for a former North Charleston police officer charged with murder in the April 2015 shooting of an unarmed black motorist are asking a judge to delay a planned retrial in March.

Local media outlets report lawyers for Michael Slager filed court papers Friday saying at least seven of their experts have conflicts with a planned March 1 trial start.

Slager's lawyers also say there've been no pretrial hearings and add nearly two dozen older murder cases in Charleston County should be tried first.

A jury deliberated over four days before deadlocking after the month-long trial.

Slager was charged two days after shooting Walter Scott in the back as the driver ran from a traffic stop in April 2015. The shooting was captured on a bystander's cellphone video.